Politics
Aluu Four In the Eyes Of Rivers Assembly
Death is certainly an inevitable end for all mortals, but no
one is privileged to know when, where and how it will take place. The Holy
Bible condemns killing in whatever form as reflected in Exodus 20:13 “thou
shall not kill”.
The constitution of Nigeria guarantees right to life and
even the golden rule says, “do unto others as you wish them do to you”. The
social and conventional media are being inundated daily of gory incidents of
man’s inhumanity to fellow man and this raises a lot of moral questions on the
people.
It appears that moral values of our society are on serious
decline, otherwise how do we explain the senseless killings perpetrated by the
Boko Haram Islamic Sect in the North.
Just recently, three young men said to be indigenes of Etche
were alleged to have been burnt to death by yet to be identified persons for
reasons that are still sketchy at a border community between Etche and Ikwerre
in Rivers State.
Unconfirmed report says one of the victims was a medical
student undergoing his House manship training.
Unlike the Aluu killing, the offence of this persons cannot
be ascertained and their case was not captured in the social media but their
families are devastated.
On Tuesday precisely October 9, 2012, a middle aged man was
alleged to have taken his own life by jumping down from the top floor of the Federal
Secretariat in Port Harcourt.
The killing of four University of Port Harcourt students by
a mob at Aluu community, which lasted about two hours, has again revealed the
stark reality that Nigerian citizens are not safe in their fatherland.
Infact, it is difficult to fathom the scenario created in
the social media that fellow citizens watched the jungle justice and even
contributed ideas on how best to carry out the extra judicial killing.
Since the inception of the University Port Harcourt, one
cannot remember the killing of four University of Port Harcourt students by a
mob at Aluu community, which lasted for about two hours, has again revealed the
stark reality of the nation’s porous security system.
Infact, it is difficult to fathom the scenario created in
the social media that follow citizens watched the jungle justice and even
contributed ideas on how best to carry out the extra-judicial killing.
Since the establishment of the University of Port Harcourt
in the late 70s, one cannot recall when this kind of barbaric scene occurred in
Aluu Community, even at the worst of provocations by the students, especially
when the institution was notorious for cult activities. During the period,
innocent community members lost their lives.
Then, it was regarded as the price the people had to pay for
hosting such an establishment, so what went wrong? Has the glory of modern
Ikwerre community departed from Aluu? Have the strangers resident in the area
upturned the psyche of the ever peaceful Aluu people for which they were known?
The allegations against the four students range from
stealing, raping to cultism and possession of dangerous weapons as well as
inflicting body harm on residents of the community, leading to the setting up
of a vigilante group which allegedly arrested them at the wee hours of Saturday
morning with stolen mobile phones and laptops. While they were paraded a female
resident was said to have identified one of them as a rapist.
Agreed that the students were guilty of the crime proffered
against them, does that confer on anyone the right to condemn them to death
without trial?
The rule of law stipulates that only a court of competent
jurisdiction can pronounce a suspect guilty of an offence and prescribe
appropriate punishment accordingly.
The lawmaker representing Omuma constituency in the State
Assembly, Hon. Kelechi Nwogu, on Wednesday brought a motion on the floor of the
Assembly condemning the extra judicial killing and carnage in Aluu community in
Ikwerre local government area.
Presenting the motion, Hon Nwogu said “we are all aware of
the killing of four students of the University of Port Harcourt. The incident
has continued to generate condemnation, outcry and even sparked off
demonstration leading to destruction of properties by students of the
institution”.
The lawmaker named the brutally murdered students as Lloyd,
Ugonna, Tekena and Chidiaka. While referring to the video on the internet, he
said the students were stripped naked, laid down helplessly as they were
continually hit with big sticks mostly on the head and later each of them had a
tyre put on his neck.
According to Kelechi, they were initially said to have
stolen laptops and phones and later a new twist emerged that they were cultists
who had gone to attack someone in the community and were apprehended in the
process. It was also alleged that the students had dangerous weapons on them
when they were apprehended.
Having set the stage for debate, other lawmakers took time
to condemn the gruesome murder of the students, not the offence purported to
have been committed.
Hon. Onari Brown, representing Akuku-Toru Constituency I,
blamed the crowd for watching man’s inhuman treatment to another without
calling the attention of security agents or school authority but only found
pleasure in filming the scene to be forwarded to the net.
He blamed the Aluu community for descending so low to engage
in barbaric crime and urged the government to do everything humanly possible to
unravel those behind the dastardly act. “Justice must be done because nobody
has right to take life, no matter the provocation”.
Hon. Brown condemned reprisal attack on the community
because that would not bring back the murdered students, saying that the
students should rather demand justice. He enjoined the security operatives to
bring all those linked with the incident to book.
Hon. Aye Pepple, representing Bonny, took a swoop on the
need to reform the police and other security outfits in the country,
emphasising that what happened in Aluu is a daily occurrence in parts of
Nigeria, leading citizens providing security for themselves in a nation where
survival of the fittest is in vogue.
Hon. Ikuniyi Ibani (Andoni) said he was personally
traumatised by the incident and wondered how this kind of heinous crime could
be committed in this modern world. He blamed the police at Aluu for not
intervening in the matter even when contact was said to have been established.
For Hon. Ibelema Okpokiri, representing Okrika: thes
incident was unfortunate, and regrettable, that a modern community like Aluu,
hosting a university should perpetrate such act in such magnitude.
He called for justice as the only way the soul of the
victims would rest in peace, arguing that reprisal attack was not an option and
blamed the students for the destructions that followed the attack.
Other speakers like Hon. Martin Amaewhule, Victor Amadi, Dr.
Innocent Barikor and Golden Chioma, described the murder of the 4 Uniport
students as barbaric, cannibalistic, dastardly and wicked, adding that the mob
threw away their sense of reasoning , for the sanity of human life to the wind.
Announcing the resolution of the House, the speaker, Rt.
Hon. Otelemaba Amachree, said the Assembly condemns the ignominious dastardly
act perpetrated by some members of the Aluu community, stating that no matter
the circumstances the people do not have the right to take the life of others.
The House also lauded the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi for his timely directive to the law enforcement agencies to
arrest the perpetrators of the heinous crime and also urged the government to
direct the security agents to be on guard to protect lives and properties in
Aluu community.
The Assembly called on the Police Commissioner to
investigate the role of the Aluu Police Station for the alleged refusal to
respond to distress call and to prevent further reprisal attack.
The Assembly also expressed satisfaction with the decision
of the university authority to declare a 7-day mourning period for the late
students, acknowledging that flying their flag at half mast shows a mark of
honour for the departed souls.
This event undoubtedly has thrown a challenge on the
leadership capacities of various communities in Rivers State to entrust only
persons with save mind to superintend over their affairs.
It also challenged the police to justify the job for which
they are paid; to detect and prevent crime, because the commotion from the
apprehension torture and killing of the students was enough to attract the
attention of law enforcement agents and probably, may have sved these four
lives.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday brushed aside the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which ordered him to stay proceedings in a suit that sought deregistration of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party and three others.
The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision of a panel of three Justices had on May 22, 2026 directed the Federal High Court Judge not to proceed with the suit until an appeal pending before them and filed by Accord Party is resolved.
In a Certified True Copy Enrol Order of the Superior Court, Justices Mohammed Danjuma, Adebukola Banjoko and Oyejoju Oyewumi asked the lower Court Judge to stay proceedings until all issues on the appeal filed by the Accord Party were resolved
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had, through the Accord Party, applied to justice Lifu to join him as a defendant in the deregistration legal battle instituted by a group of former legislators.
The contention of the Osun State governor was that he had a stake in the Accord Party, being the platform he was seeking re-election in the August 15 gubernatorial poll in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu on April 27 ruled against the Osun State governor, rejecting his request to be joined in the suit to defend his own position and interest.
Not satisfied with the Federal High Court decision, the Osun State governor, through his lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), moved to the Court of Appeal in Abuja where he challenged the Justice Lifu decision to refuse to allow him join the suit.
After listening to the argument canvassed, especially that he has interest to protect as Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for Osun State governorship election, the three Justices of the Court of Appeal, unanimously directed Justice Lifu to allow them look into the grievances of the governor.
In specific terms, the Court of Appeal Justices directed Justice Lifu not to proceed further with the matter and fixed October 27 to determine the interlocutory appeal of the appellant.
However, when the certified enroll order and notice of appeal were served on Justice Peter Lifu by Mr Adetunbi (SAN), the judge rejected it on the ground that it was a ploy to arrest his judgment in the matter.
Although the judge had adjourned his judgment delivery in the matter indefinitely, he finally made a dramatic turn around on Monday and proceeded to deliver the judgment that has now proscribed the five political parties.
Actor turned politician, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected the choice of former Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement on Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdulllahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, announced the party’s choice of Mr Amaechi.
However in a statement, Mr Okonkwo said that the choice of Mr Amaechi from the South South strengthens the continued marginalization of people from the South East.
According to the former spokesperson of the Labour Party, any arrangement that would not factor a person from the South East either as president or vice president in the party is anti-Igbo.
He contended that Chief Raph Nwosu, who founded the ADC in 2005 and willingly surrendered it’s leadership to Senator David Mark did not do so to entrench Igbo marginalization in the party.
The former actor said: “I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.
“This geo-political zone has neither produced a president or vice president since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the president or vice president in the ADC in 2027, will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in marginalisation of my own people further. I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the national chairman and the president, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the vice president in 2027.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his vice.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as president or vice in 2027”
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Monday said that the numerous projects being executed by President Bola Tinubu across the states in the southeast will give him upper hand over other presidential candidates during next year’s general elections.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during a mega rally organized by the Ebonyi State government and Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, during which President Tinubu and other APC candidates for the 2027 general elections were adopted.
According to the APC National Chairman, no President had done for the southeast region what President Tinubu has done for them and expressed the confidence that the president would not only win in Ebonyi State but in the entire South East.
Prof. Yilwatda also used the occasion to address growing insinuations in some quarters that Ebonyi State had been conceded to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dismissing the claim, Prof. Yilwatda said the state would not allow the PDP to win any position in the forthcoming general election.
“We will return President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Francis Nwifuru as Governor of Ebonyi State in 2027.
“We want to return all APC senators, members of the House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates in 2027.
“Nobody has conceded Ebonyi to the PDP. Therefore, there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State. Ebonyi PDP has no place, and there is no vacancy at all in the Government House come 2027,” the APC National Chairman declared.
He commended the people of the state for their support for President Tinubu and urged them to re-elect him in the next presidential election in appreciation of what he has done for the state and the entire South-East through infrastructural transformation and human capital development.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, who also spoke at the event, said the state had no other presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections apart from President Tinubu.
He declared that Ebonyi remained a stronghold of the APC and vowed that the party would deliver the President in the state.
Gov. Nwifuru said President Tinubu had shown exceptional commitment to the state and deserved total support for appointing Senator Umahi as Minister of Works, a role he said Senator Umahi had performed creditably.
“Ebonyi has no other presidential candidate apart from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we will return him in the presidential election.
“We are standing here today to tell the whole world, especially those using the President’s name to orchestrate division and confusion in this great state, that we have only one party, and that is the APC.
“This statement became necessary because some people are going around claiming they have discussed with Mr President and that he has handed Ebonyi over to the PDP. They are also saying that Chief Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the President has given Ebonyi to him.
“Ebonyi is not for sale. We are restraining ourselves because the people are with us. Nobody should push us because we have what it takes to confront anyone trying to destabilise us.
“We want to tell Mr President that he has earned our votes. He gave us what we had never had in Eastern Nigeria — the office of the Minister of Works. And this Minister of Works is not sitting idle; he is working,” he stated.
Senator Umahi, in his remarks, said President Tinubu had done what no other President had done for Ebonyi State and the entire South-East by executing numerous projects across the state and the region.
“Ebonyi State is a one-party state under Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. We are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done a lot, not just for Ebonyi State but for the entire South-East and other geopolitical zones,” he said.
-
Niger Delta1 day agoWarri Airport Manager Disputes Air Peace Bird Strike Claim
-
News1 day agoNigeria Won’t Surrender Any Territory To Criminals -Tinubu
-
News1 day agoFG Begins Trial Of Over 600 Terrorism Suspects
-
Rivers1 day ago79th IAUE Inaugural Lecture: Prof Anero Advoctes Tuition-Free Education For Children
-
Politics1 day agoParties’ Deregistration: How Justice Lifu Overruled Appeal Court Justices
-
Politics1 day agoADC: Okonkwo Rejects Amaechi As Presidential Running Mate, Withdraws Support
-
Politics1 day ago
2027: Rivers PFN To Mobilise 600,000 Votes
-
Politics1 day ago2027: Tinubu’s Projects Give APC Edge In South East – Yilwatda